An Andy Kaufman Story

What really happened on that infamous episode of "Fridays"? An insider finally reveals the truth.

"What a nice Jewish boy," I said to myself, when the nice Jewish Elayne Boosler introduced Andy Kaufman to me in 1973. So sweet, so innocently wide-eyed, introverted, shy. Ordinary. Not much personality there. Zero presence or appeal frankly. Seems weak and scared. Brings out the mother in me.

I can't believe he actually has the guts to go onstage at the Improv on such a stellar night. David Brenner just slayed ‘em in the aisles. Richie Lewis is spewing a potently neurotic fifteen minute set. I'm hanging in the bullpen at the bar, withstanding the onslaught of the guys all trying out their incessant one liners on me ("Was that funny? C'mon, that was funny!!") hoping to get my own silly songs on before the audience runs out of laughs and I run out of steam. I follow the Kaufman kid in and stand in the back of the house as Budd Freedman introduces him, angling to watch the imminent disaster, offer sympathy and bat cleanup.

"What an incredibly audacious boy," I thought to myself ten minutes later, as I watched him take captive an audience who weren't sure whether to laugh or spit. He had just played the Mighty Mouse anthem and with a few sung lines and some strange, artfully controlled behaviors, become indelible in all our minds.

It wasn't the last time our paths would cross and recross at the Improv Clubs East and West, on theater stages and television sets. It wasn't the last time I'd be amazed at his daring, moxie, nervy performance art addiction to negative attention and the element of surprise. How could such a politely pleasant, rather dull guy who would years later in Los Angeles take me out for macrobiotic food, keep an eye out while I ran the Fairfax High School track after dark, take breaks from jobs to meditate devoutly twice a day, trying to convince me to do the same, become such a taunting, compelling, confident, charismatic monster when he was "on?"

His characters always seemed to have so much more personality that he did. And why he was never satisfied to be beloved in his character actor roles, like the adorable Latke later on "Taxi," was bewildering to me. But he was an artist on a mission with a vision.

His parents seemed quite loving, normal, as all Long Island Jewish parents seem, his brother an upwardly mobile sort from the more beautiful burbs. Oh how I wanted the tales of psychological suffering and victimization, the damage that wrought his odd impulses, but they weren't forthcoming. I was never able to assess the source of his strange genius, or death defying drive to express it. But I bore the brunt of it one historic night on live TV, back in the day when there were only three networks on our television consoles and minor incidents loomed large.

Larry David, Michael Richards and I, not the best of the stand ups at the time, were cast on ABC's designated clone of Saturday Night Live called "Friday's" in 1979. Jack Burns, our comic, ex Marine of a producer, who ran every "Friday's" rehearsal from the war room in his head, called Mary Edith Burrell, Michael Richards and me into the Green Room just before our live late night show was about to crank up on the air without a net in our second season, 1981. Andy was guest starring for the second time. Our drill sergeant was pacing, stoked by the thrill of a kill festering in his head.

"Andy's gonna bust out of the show tonight," he gleamed. "He's gonna mess up and break the fourth wall from the top of the monolog. It's gonna be great. It's gonna kick our ratings through the ROOF!!"

"Ho, boy," I worried. "Here we go." Kamikaze comedy -- my favorite. How desperate our Network was; ratings pigs before their time. Reality TV was being born on the bleeding edge where shock and awe were more important than art or life. The precious fourth wall*, which the audience trusts to protect it from involvement, was to be irreparably violated that night.

"In the last sketch (which had remained oddly unfinished in rehearsal) he's gonna refuse to go on with the scene. And I want you troopers to just stay in character and improvise, okay? Let him run with it. Make it look real! Good luck, men!"

So we set off on our mission to be compliant in our victimization, while appearing to be enraged. Making fools of ourselves was how we made a living, after all. As promised, Andy petulantly trashed every moment he could from the top of the show, putting down the performers, the writing, the "Friday's" show in its entirety. The audience anxiety was palpably mounting by the moment. Not my idea of a good time, but on we went.

In the last scene of the night, the premise promised: a rather straight couple of couples goes out to dinner and one by one goes to the john and comes back ‘different.' The writer had murmured something about social commentary, but it was clearly just an excuse for the preplanned ‘rave-off.'*

I was playing a prissy uptight wife, and we all proceeded with our insipid dialog. And, of course, as expected, Andy refused to say his lines, began to rant, Michael grabbed the cue cards and threw them at Andy, I tossed a few buttered rolls at him in character, Mary Edith got self-righteously indignant, and our hero Jack Burns leaped into the faked fray to defend the tipsy ship. Pseudo violence ensued, somehow the entire cast materializing to get their punims on camera in the final moments....UNTIL.

Our loyal crew, not let in on the little ‘joke,' frantically red-faced, leapt to our defense, melodramatic Jack's defense, easily outraged Michael's defense, the show's defense, and the purchase of their own weekend homes and boats. They restrained the tortured Andy, while our noble leader, Jack, seemed about to beat him up before the show went black. Not a big fan of violence, even feigned, I retired to the wings in my character, who wouldn't have stuck around for violence either. She and I were embarrassed for us.

All my years of classical training to be remembered for this and as the mom on the cartoon "Rugrats"?

The news shows ran rampant with the story that night and for several days. Even the Village Voice was frothing for interviews with Mary Edith and me. Who could have known how famous we'd get, even infamously memorialized years later in a Milos Foreman film about Andy ("The Man in the Moon,") in which I was played by the illustrious and very blonde comedienne Caroline Rea? All my years of classical training to be remembered for this and as the mom on the cartoon "Rugrats"? Such is an actor's life.

And sadly, who could have known how nice Jewish boy Andy's obsessively making jokes at everyone's expense, crying wolf for so many years, would finally bite him in the chest. He didn't know when to quit, that the audiences had run out of patience, so his body did it for him.

Non smoking, macro meditating Andy got lung cancer in 1983, when the audience no longer bought his tricks. They mocked the shock, until he was a wraith in a wheelchair, and cold in a coffin. He fought that mysterious Long Island cancer like crazy, like he fought everything else normal, but it won when he was so so young.

I was very sad to lose him from life. Beyond his controversial genius, he was really just a nice Jewish boy.

*The Fourth Wall is a term to describe the invisible wall between the audience and the actors on-stage. When an actor addresses the audience directly, it is called "Breaking the Fourth Wall."

*In improvisation circles, a ‘rave-off' occurs when the players have no ending or point to make beyond entertainment, and escalate hysteria and chaos till they force the scene to be blacked out.

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About the Author

MELANIE CHARTOFF considers herself an inventor – of stories and characters for the page, stage and screen, including roles she''s created on ABC''s late night comedy answer to SNL, "Friday''s," "Parker Lewis Can''t Lose," "The Newhart Show," "Wiseguy," "Ally McBeal," "Touched by an Angel," and "Desperate Housewives." She can be heard daily as the voices of Didi and Minka on Nickleodeon''s long-running "Rugrats" and its spin-off "All Grown Up." For more information about Melanie, you can visit her website at http://melaniechartoff.com

I too saw the episode being discussed and no one seems to recall the beginning when the unknown magician was giving away trade secrets and Kaufman shoved a swallowing sword down his throat and as blood erupted from his throat into the air the show went to emergency commercial. It was a later skit when the fight occurred and again the commercial cut-in. Weeks later came the broadcast of the written apology which Andy through down midway through proclaiming the cast had drugged him and was again attacked by the producer and again the cut-in. That was the last Andy was seen on TV. That's how I remember it

Kathy,
March 14, 2011 12:31 AM

I SAW THAT!!!

I saw that and you are the only other person I've ever known of that did too! I always wondered if that was real or not. So was it???

Anonymous,
January 14, 2012 8:53 PM

I was a kid when I saw the sword swallowing and the blood and then they went to commerical. I am right now wat ching "moon" and I was looking for that situation.

Was it real ot not?

Anonymous,
March 24, 2012 1:37 PM

i saw it too

I never knew if it was real but back then I thought it was. I just finished watching moon and I remember that horror when I was a teenager.

Circe,
May 30, 2012 3:58 AM

NooYawker

I saw that episode too and I was horrified - always wondered if the sword swallower was really injured. And Jack Burns must be a helluva actor because he seemed genuinely enraged. That was the most tense moment of tv EVER.

james carroll,
October 10, 2014 11:00 AM

I saw the episode.WAS IT REAL? A simple yes or no,thats it.

I was in Riverside Ca.when that episode aired. I called my brother in Ms. but of all episodes he missed this one.So after 35 years someone tell me WAS IT REAL?.

(8)
gareth byrom,
March 30, 2009 9:32 AM

genius andy kaufman.

i watched the film man on the moon and have been studying all the history and behind the scenes storys...he did cry wolf in the end ..many people not believing he was dying...but as we all know...his final trick on his AUDIENCE was to make them believe that the fitness freak and non smoking andy was dead...and to find that he was working with his writers on a big sketch about a comedian that disapears and reappears 30 years later i find intriguing...one day he will be remembered for his genius and not his con tricks!

(7)
Larry M,
May 31, 2008 1:21 AM

Thanks Melanie

I remember watching this episode, and like so many of us, I had no idea it was a joke until I saw Milos Foreman''s film. Thank you for sharing your behind-the-scenes perspective with us.

(6)
Allen Pearl,
August 6, 2007 11:28 AM

Very good story.

So sorry to see such a young talented life got to the grave. His humor, although very strange, was very enjoyable. He certainly was a gentle giant of genuis.

(5)
Anonymous,
August 5, 2007 10:45 AM

Andy

Andy Kaufmann as a comedian was difficult for me to get used to. But he grew on me and I'd watch 'Taxi' faithfully for him.I didn't know he died of cancer. So many in the entertainment business died of overdoses or suicide I thought he probably made some outrageous exit.Didn't know he was Jewish either. Wouldn't have mattered.

(4)
Anonymous,
August 1, 2007 4:32 AM

Genius, but unbalanced.

Any Kaufman was a genius who became unbalanced. Regardless, he was one of the most entertaining artists of the time.

To "Interesting": The wrestling match was real. He actually mud wrestled women. Was it narcissism or an act? To me it does not matter. He was over the top and great.

(3)
Gabe,
July 30, 2007 10:23 PM

Holy Scoop!

I always wondered if that incident was staged or not! Kudos to Jewlarious for getting such a great scoop!

(2)
Leslie,
July 30, 2007 10:01 PM

I remember that night

And Melanie, if you were acting, you did one helluva job...because when you threw those buttered rolls and he went off on you the look on your face was pure shock....fabulous, darlin'. Good job.

(1)
Anonymous,
July 30, 2007 12:53 PM

Interesting

What is the true story of the boxing bet made on late night TV when he got into the ring with a professional?

I just got married and have an important question: Can we eat rice on Passover? My wife grew up eating it, and I did not. Is this just a matter of family tradition?

The Aish Rabbi Replies:

The Torah instructs a Jew not to eat (or even possess) chametz all seven days of Passover (Exodus 13:3). "Chametz" is defined as any of the five grains (wheat, spelt, barley, oats, and rye) that came into contact with water for more than 18 minutes. Chametz is a serious Torah prohibition, and for that reason we take extra protective measures on Passover to prevent any mistakes.

Hence the category of food called "kitniyot" (sometimes referred to generically as "legumes"). This includes rice, corn, soy beans, string beans, peas, lentils, peanuts, mustard, sesame seeds and poppy seeds. Even though kitniyot cannot technically become chametz, Ashkenazi Jews do not eat them on Passover. Why?

Products of kitniyot often appear like chametz products. For example, it can be hard to distinguish between rice flour (kitniyot) and wheat flour (chametz). Also, chametz grains may become inadvertently mixed together with kitniyot. Therefore, to prevent confusion, all kitniyot were prohibited.

In Jewish law, there is one important distinction between chametz and kitniyot. During Passover, it is forbidden to even have chametz in one's possession (hence the custom of "selling chametz"). Whereas it is permitted to own kitniyot during Passover and even to use it - not for eating - but for things like baby powder which contains cornstarch. Similarly, someone who is sick is allowed to take medicine containing kitniyot.

What about derivatives of kitniyot - e.g. corn oil, peanut oil, etc? This is a difference of opinion. Many will use kitniyot-based oils on Passover, while others are strict and only use olive or walnut oil.

Finally, there is one product called "quinoa" (pronounced "ken-wah" or "kin-o-ah") that is permitted on Passover even for Ashkenazim. Although it resembles a grain, it is technically a grass, and was never included in the prohibition against kitniyot. It is prepared like rice and has a very high protein content. (It's excellent in "cholent" stew!) In the United States and elsewhere, mainstream kosher supervision agencies certify it "Kosher for Passover" -- look for the label.

Interestingly, the Sefardi Jewish community does not have a prohibition against kitniyot. This creates the strange situation, for example, where one family could be eating rice on Passover - when their neighbors will not. So am I going to guess here that you are Ashkenazi and your wife is Sefardi. Am I right?

Yahrtzeit of Rabbi Moses ben Nachman (1194-1270), known as Nachmanides, and by the acronym of his name, Ramban. Born in Spain, he was a physician by trade, but was best-known for authoring brilliant commentaries on the Bible, Talmud, and philosophy. In 1263, King James of Spain authorized a disputation (religious debate) between Nachmanides and a Jewish convert to Christianity, Pablo Christiani. Nachmanides reluctantly agreed to take part, only after being assured by the king that he would have full freedom of expression. Nachmanides won the debate, which earned the king's respect and a prize of 300 gold coins. But this incensed the Church: Nachmanides was charged with blasphemy and he was forced to flee Spain. So at age 72, Nachmanides moved to Jerusalem. He was struck by the desolation in the Holy City -- there were so few Jews that he could not even find a minyan to pray. Nachmanides immediately set about rebuilding the Jewish community. The Ramban Synagogue stands today in Jerusalem's Old City, a living testimony to his efforts.

It's easy to be intimidated by mean people. See through their mask. Underneath is an insecure and unhappy person. They are alienated from others because they are alienated from themselves.

Have compassion for them. Not pity, not condemning, not fear, but compassion. Feel for their suffering. Identify with their core humanity. You might be able to influence them for the good. You might not. Either way your compassion frees you from their destructiveness. And if you would like to help them change, compassion gives you a chance to succeed.

It is the nature of a person to be influenced by his fellows and comrades (Rambam, Hil. De'os 6:1).

We can never escape the influence of our environment. Our life-style impacts upon us and, as if by osmosis, penetrates our skin and becomes part of us.

Our environment today is thoroughly computerized. Computer intelligence is no longer a science-fiction fantasy, but an everyday occurrence. Some computers can even carry out complete interviews. The computer asks questions, receives answers, interprets these answers, and uses its newly acquired information to ask new questions.

Still, while computers may be able to think, they cannot feel. The uniqueness of human beings is therefore no longer in their intellect, but in their emotions.

We must be extremely careful not to allow ourselves to become human computers that are devoid of feelings. Our culture is in danger of losing this essential aspect of humanity, remaining only with intellect. Because we communicate so much with unfeeling computers, we are in danger of becoming disconnected from our own feelings and oblivious to the feelings of others.

As we check in at our jobs, and the computer on our desk greets us with, "Good morning, Mr. Smith. Today is Wednesday, and here is the agenda for today," let us remember that this machine may indeed be brilliant, but it cannot laugh or cry. It cannot be happy if we succeed, or sad if we fail.

Today I shall...

try to remain a human being in every way - by keeping in touch with my own feelings and being sensitive to the feelings of others.

With stories and insights,
Rabbi Twerski's new book Twerski on Machzor makes Rosh Hashanah prayers more meaningful. Click here to order...